The pictured Techno ball pen goes by many names but the quality is rarely as good as the real thing!
I would like to tell you a story about a customer I lost for a short time. This was a customer who had been very happy with our service and prices. There was really no reason for them to change suppliers had it not been for a mail shot they received from one of my cut price competitors.
Her boss received a brochure while she was on vacation. The brochure featured a picture or the Techno ballpen. This is a very popular metal pen worldwide. I have seen it called other things such as the Lunar Pen and the Argenta Pen but the distinctive style is the same.
Realising they were low on pens and had a upcoming trade show in a few weeks, he jumped at the special offer without asking for samples. He thought he had been paying far too much for his pens and was in no mood to pick up the phone to me. He sent his artwork and placed his order.
Such actions are not unreasonable. If you saw an iPad featured for sale by one supplier for 20% less than from another supplier and you wanted an iPad, would you not jump at the deal?
Unfortunately for my customers things didn’t go as planned. They received their new pens a day before their big event but they were not the same. The metal used to manufacture them was much lighter and they were difficult to write with because of a substandard refill. Basically they were not usable because there were such poor quality.
I learned when I first started in the promotional merchandise industry that many pens may look the same but they are by no means the same. You see, the popular designs can be manufactured by several competing factories in China. Some use cheaper materials to manufacture these lookalike pens and the resulting pens feel cheap and not nice to write with.
I love competition. It is part of what makes my job fun. But as a buyer of promotional pens you need to ensure you are comparing like for like.
If in doubt ask for samples. Any good supplier will be happy to arrange for you to see samples.
I am happy to say that my customer has come back. This type of thing will happen again but hopefully it will not happen to you. Always check the quality of your promotional merchandise and you will have far less chance of purchasing substandard merchandise.
Have you ever thought you were getting an amazing deal on promotional pens just to find that the goods were not what you were expecting? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.
By Dan Toombs